Bobbin stripper



Patented Mar. 7, -193,9

PATENT OFFiCE BOBBIN STRIPPER Julius E. Kimbirl,

The Terrell Machine Company,

Charlotte, N. C., assigner to Charlotte,

N. C., a corporation of North Carolina Application November 24, 1937, Serial No. 176,181

9 Claims.

The present invention has to do with devices for stripping the waste yarn from used bobbins which have been expelled from automatic looms.

It aims to provide a novel and improved bobbin stripping machine which will take the residual .waste yarn olf from the bobbins without any mechanical contact with the yarn-carrying portions thereof, so that there will be no chipping or abrasion of such portions from this cause which could subsequently catch and fracture the delicate filaments of rayon or silk yarns when the bobbins are rewound and again put into use. In particular, the invention aims to produce a bobbin stripper having these advantages which also has increased eciency and simplicity while costing less tov build and to operate.

To these ends, the invention consists in a bobbin stripper in which the bobbins travel along a path with their tips downward while subjected to the action of a sheet or sheets of air projected against their yarn-engaging portions, to loosen and blow down the terminal ends of the yarn which remains wound on the bobbins. The sheetlike jet of air extends laterally of its direction of flow, so as preferably to engage a plurality of pendant bobbins at one time, and hence so that each bobbin moving along the path will be continuously subjected to the blast throughout a prolonged period of its travel. To produce this type of blast in preferred manner, a slot is used as the orifice or aperture through which the air is'forced under pressure, and to keep the blast constant in intensity throughout substantially the entire exposure of each bobbin thereto, the slot is located alongside and parallel to the path of the bobbns. With the jet of air thus made continuously-acting on each bobbin over a prolonged period of time, it is found that in spite of the fact that the bobbins may be constantly in motion as they pass through the jet, a lessened intensity or density of the jet suffices to blow loose the terminal end of the waste yarn, especially when such jets are duplicated at opposite sides of the path of the bobbin, as preferred herein, than where a series of spaced round nozzles or holes is used. Hence the use of compressors with their permanent and necessary adjuncts of compressed air tanks and piping, expensive in first cost and in power costs and upkeep, may be entirely dispensed with, and replaced by one or two relatively cheap individually-driven rotary blowers or fans built in as a part of each machine, thereby making each bobbinrstripper a self-contained unit detached from any piping system.

` `In the improved stripper of the invention the bobbins may be propelled along their path through the air-jet either manually or mechanically, and a simple andiefiective mechanical method is shown comprising opposed belts running at equal speeds frictionally engaging the heads 0f the bobbins to slide them along spaced tracks while hanging from the latter by their heads or the rings on such heads. Also, instead of relying wholly on the combined effect of gravity and the air-jets to unwind the residual yarn downwardly off from-the tips of the bobbins, as can be done with rayon, mechanical means such as africtionsurfaced roll or reel may be located below the path of the bobbins to engage the descending ends of yarn, and rotated at high surface speed 15 to unwind the yarn oii from the bobbins in short order.

Other aims of the invention, and the. manner whereby they are carried into effect, are as will be made plain hereinafter.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a plan view.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. 25

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, with certain parts broken away.

The path of the bobbins through the machine is dened by a pair of tracks l, l, spaced equidistant from each other throughout their length, 30 and either level or inclined downwardly in the direction of travel of the bobbins. These tracks engage the heads of the bobbins, or better still the steel rings on the heads, to support the bobbins in pendent relation with their tips downward. 35 A hopper 3 is indicated, into which the bobbins are dumped in quantity at random, being thereafter inserted tip first by hand into the space between the tracks and being pushed or allowed to gravitate toward the center of the machine.

The heads of the bobbins 2 are grasped one after another between a pair of opposed endless belts 5, passing around idler pulleys 6 and driven pulleys 'l fixed on shafts 9, rotated oppositely at 45 Vequal speeds through engagement of equal spur gears Il. One shaft 8 is driven through worm gear i3 xed thereon and worm I5 on shaft I1 of electric motor I9. Belt-tighteners 2l operate in obvious manner. Belt-guides 23 hold theworking 50 runs of belts 5 in gripping engagement with the sides or rings of the bobbin heads, being yieldingly pressed toward each other for this purpose by springs 25 on their mounting and supporting shafts 2l, the guides 2'3 being flanged at their BOP 55 edges as indicated in Fig. 2 to prevent the belts from rising away from tracks I.

To deiine a long narrow aperture extending alongside the path of the bobbins 2, through which aperture or slot a sheet-like jet of air can be propagated, side walls 29 are provided having oblique slots 3| formed therein and extending parallel to the working runs of belts 5 throughout practically the entire extent of such runs.

A convenient construction is illustrated, in which the side walls defining the slots are formed as portions of air-chambers 33, of which the horizontal top walls 35 form the top platform of the machine on which the tracks and the belt guiding devices are mounted. These chambers 33 are closed at both ends by vertical walls 31 and throughout the area of their remote sides 39, eX- cept that a large central aperture 4| is formed in each of the latter sides to accommodate a high speed aeroplane type of fan 43 each driven by its individual motor 45 mounted on frame-members 41, which latter also support the air-chambers by means of steps 49 aflixed to 41. The bottom of each air-chamber 33 slopes obliquely upward to cooperate with top wall 35 in funneling the blast of each fan 43 into the vicinity of slots 3|.

The air thus forced into air-chambers 33 at high speed and low pressure by the fans 43 is discharged at substantially constant intensity throughout the entire length of slots 3|, in a plurality of sheets which are directed obliquely inwardly toward the path of the bobbins and downwardly toward the tips of the latter. As the bobbins are normally fed to the belts in a continuous procession with the head of each bobbin in contact with that of the preceding and succeeding bobbins, a large number of bobbins are consequently in front of the slots simultaneously, and hence each bobbin in the procession is subjected to the action of the several sheets of air travelling under pressure, continuously during its travel from one endA of the air-chambers 35 to the other end thereof, which as noted meansfor substantially the entire length of the working runs of belts 5.

Onepair of opposedv slots 3| is so located and directed as to impinge initially on the yarn-carrying surfaces of the bobbins at a point relatively close to the head, so that if the end is broken off close to the residual mass or feeler bunch these two sheet-jets will blow it loose and start it down the barrel of the bobbin. The other opposed slots 3| produce sheets of air impinging on the bobbin farther down toward its tip, to cooperate with the upper sheet-jet in bringing down the end and continuing the unwinding action after the end has been started loose. To make the action of these combined blasts more effective in pulling off the waste yarn after the end has been blown loose and the unwinding commenced, downward prolongations of the side walls 29 extending for the length of the slots are provided in the shape of baffles 5|,` 53'.

The mechanical means shown herein for completing the unwinding of the wasteV yarn from the bobbins comprises a reel 55 of any desired or preferable construction having its longitudinal slats 51 clad with bristles 59 and xed on shaft 6| mounted in bearings 63 on brackets 65 so that its periphery is tangent to the plane of the bobbin axes as the-y proceed along the tracks l. Baille 53 is curved across. such plane as shown in Fig. 2 to divert both the downward air currentsand the descending endsofyarn 61- intoengagement with the bristles on reel 55, so that the ends will amarre be engaged thereby and wound up on the reel. Reel 55 is driven in any suitable or preferred manner, as by V-belt from pulley 51 on motor shaft |1V to larger pulley 59 on the reel shaft 6|.

By reason of the downward direction of the sheets of air injected through oblique slots 3| into the flue defined by side walls 29 and ballles 5|, 53, a downward ow of air is induced from above the bobbins, passing through the spaces left between adjacent bobbin heads in the procession, and also down through the bores 69 of the bobbins, serving both to bring down the ends of the waste yarn, and also to clean lint and fluif out of the bobbin-bores.`

While I have illustrated and described a certain form in which the invention may be embodied, I am aware that many modifications may be made therein by any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to? the particular form shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but

What I do claim is:

1. In a bobbin stripper, in combination, means for guiding the bobbins along a path with their tips pointing downwardly, a side wall defining a long narrow aperture which extends alongside such path, and means propelling air through such aperture to impinge initially on the yarn-carrying portions of the bobbins as the latter move sidewise along such path.

2. In a bobbin stripper, in combination, means for guiding the bobbins along a path with their Vtips pointing downwardly, a side wall defining a long, narrow aperture which extends alongside such path, and means propelling air through such aperture to impinge initially on the yarn-carry ing portions of the bobbins' as the latter move sidewise along such path to blow loose the ends of yarn, and mechanical means to engage and draw olf the ends of yarn thus loosened.

3. In a bobbin stripper, in combination, means for guiding the bobbins along a path with their tips pointing downward, side' walls extending along said path and spaced therefrom defining a slot, and means propelling air through such slot, the side walls directing the air obliquely against the'bobbins to impinge on the yarn-carrying portions of the bobbins as the latter move along such path.

4. In a bobbin stripper, in combination, means for guiding the bobbins along a path with theirV tips pointing downward, side walls extending along said path and spaced therefrom dening a slot, and means propellingair through such slot, `the side walls directing the air downwardly to induce a ow of additional air from above the bobbins moving axially of the bobbins from head to tip thereof as the bobbins move along such path. Y

5. In arbobbin stripper, in combination, means for guiding the bobbins along a path with their tips pointing downward, side walls extending along said path andV spaced therefrom defining a slot, and means propelling ai'r through such slot, the side walls directing the air downwardly to induce a flow of additional air from above the bobbins moving'axially of the bobbins from head to tip thereof as the bobbinsV move along such path to blow loose the ends of yarn, and mechanical means to engage and draw 01T the ends of yarn thus loosened. Y

6. Ina bobbin-stripperin combination, means for guiding the bobbins along a path with` their tips pointing downward, a source of air under pressure, and means directing such air obliquely downward against the bobbins in a sheet having .its width disposed lengthwise of such path, such sheet continuously engaging the yarn-carrying portions of the bobbins as the later move across such sheet.

'7. In a bobbin stripper, in combination, means for guiding the bobbins along a path, a chamber having a slot which latter extends along the said path, and means propelling air through such slot to impinge initiallyon the yarn-carrying portions of the bobbins to loosen the ends of the yarn as the bobbins move along such path.

8. In a bobbin stripper, in combination, means for guiding the bobbins along a path, a chamber alongside such path having a slot extending along such path, and a blower forcing air into such chamber and out through the slot to blow against the bobbin with substantially constant intensity throughout a lengthy extent of movement 0f each bobbin along such path.

9. In a bobbin stripper, in combination, spaced tracks supporting the bobbins in pendant relation with their tips downward, at least one movable band element engaging the heads of Dobbins thus supported to propel them sidewise along the tracks, a chamber alongside the tracks having a slot extending along the tracks so as to confront a plurality of pendant bobbins at one time, means propelling air through such slot to loosen the ends of yarn borne by the bobbins, and a rotary un- Winding device: to engage and draw off from the bobbins the ends of yarn thus loosened.

JULIUS E. KIMBIRL. 

